“I don’t have that much stuff. Pretty much all that I have there is clothes and food.” Though he hated to give up on searching for Rusty, Dylan had to move his stuff out and clean the place up.

  “All right, well, don’t worry about someone else catching Rusty.”

  He smiled at her and kissed her. That was what was really bothering him about the whole situation. He looked forward to the downtime with Roxie, but he wished he had accomplished finding the trapper first.

  “How about we go up to Denver tonight instead of tomorrow morning? We can stay the weekend to pack, clean, and see the sights?” Dylan asked.

  “Yeah, that would be great. Should we have dinner up there?” She went to the master bedroom to pack a bag for the weekend. “I’ve got a couple of ice chests in the garage we can take. We can get ice in Denver.”

  “Yeah, I want to take you to some restaurants I really like that you don’t have in this area and to some other places that I haven’t been to since I was a kid. That’s great on the ice chests.” He packed his bag too.

  “Let’s go then.” She called Kayla and told her they were leaving tonight to stay in Denver. Nate and Kayla were already taking care of Rosco and Buttercup because Dylan and Roxie were going to be gone for the weekend. “No, we’ve got this. Dylan said he doesn’t have too much to pack up. Yeah, we’re going to see the sights. I’ll let you know when we return. Thanks. Love you.” She got off the phone and said to Dylan, “Kayla will let the rest of the family know we’re taking off tonight instead of tomorrow.”

  “I already told my boss I was taking the weekend off. He wasn’t surprised now that I have you in my life. Before that, I worked all the time,” Dylan said, carrying their bags down the stairs.

  “That’s not good for you.” She climbed into Dylan’s truck in the garage.

  “You are what’s good for me all the way around.” He loaded their bags into the back seat along with a couple of ice chests she had for the food in the fridge and freezer at his apartment.

  “The same for me.”

  Then they were on their way to Denver, and he couldn’t wait to show her some of the places he loved and see the sights he hadn’t been to since he was a kid and his parents had been alive. He hadn’t been interested in any of that since then, not until he had Roxie in his life and was eager to share it with her. He’d even made reservations at one of the nicest hotels, which she totally approved of.

  Roxie was so glad to get this done—and so was Dylan. He’d bought a few clothes in Silver Town, but now he would have all his clothes and he wouldn’t feel so much like he was living out of his suitcase. No longer was he a bachelor male living alone on his own but a mated wolf living with her. She was curious to see what his place looked like, to smell him there, to learn more about him. This had been his domain, his kingdom, as much as her place had been hers. But now he was every bit a part of her home.

  When they finally arrived at the apartment complex, he parked, but he kissed her and said, “I think I straightened it up before I left the apartment, but I’m not sure.”

  She laughed. “You are great at our house, so I don’t care what your place looks like. That was when you were a bachelor and you weren’t expecting company anyway.”

  “Okay, I wanted to warn you just in case.”

  They pulled the packing boxes out of his truck and carried them to the outer doorway of the apartment complex.

  “I hope no food spoiled since you’ve been away for so long,” she said.

  “No. I only defrost what I’m going to eat right away. Everything is frozen otherwise. I used up the last of the eggs and milk before I left. I wasn’t sure when I would be back, though I really thought I would have caught these guys before I returned home. Then again, I didn’t think I’d be looking for a murderer.”

  “I agree.”

  They went down the hall to the front door of his apartment, and he unlocked it. They were both burdened down by boxes, so when they stepped into the room and came face-to-face with Fennel holding a rifle on them, they both just froze.

  They hadn’t smelled his scent at the front door. Why not? Roxie wondered if Fennel had broken in through a back window or… She saw the back door to a patio. Dylan’s apartment was on the ground floor. It would have been easy for Fennel to gain access to the apartment.

  Dylan didn’t have his gun with him. He hadn’t planned on hunting anyone down.

  “What do you want with us?” Roxie began to put the boxes down on the floor.

  “Shut the door,” Fennel said.

  Dylan threw his boxes at Fennel, knocking his rifle out of his hands. Then Dylan dove for Roxie, pushing her out of the apartment. “Run.”

  She wasn’t leaving her mate alone with Fennel for anything. She knew Dylan was trying to protect her. And she knew he wasn’t letting Fennel get away with this. Roxie couldn’t either because Dylan would be chasing him forever.

  But she did stay outside the apartment for the moment while Dylan tackled Fennel before he recovered his rifle. That was when Roxie raced into the apartment, looked for something that she could use to disable Fennel, and saw a lamp on a table next to the couch. She grabbed it and pulled. It was plugged in. Naturally.

  She ran over, yanked the cord out of the outlet, and raced across the room with the lamp in hand. Dylan and Fennel were matched in height, but Fennel was heavier than Dylan by maybe thirty pounds. The two were fighting with each other, Fennel trying to reach his rifle, Dylan wrestling to keep him from getting hold of it.

  Roxie waited for the perfect moment, then swung the lamp just as Fennel was on top of Dylan and struck Fennel hard in the head, knocking him out.

  “Call 911.” Dylan shoved Fennel off him and checked him for a pulse, then headed into the kitchen. He pulled open a drawer and grabbed some duct tape. After he taped Fennel’s wrists behind his back as he lay on the floor unconscious, Dylan checked the man’s pulse again.

  “He’s not dead, is he?” Roxie already had her phone out and had called 911. “A man who’s wanted for murder and attempted murder, Fennel Keaton of Denver, needs medical attention at my boyfriend’s apartment.” She wanted to call Dylan her husband, because as mated wolves they were mated for life, but she wasn’t technically married to him by human standards with an official marriage certificate, and she didn’t want to complicate things.

  “No. He has a steady pulse. That was good thinking. And fast,” Dylan said to Roxie.

  “I was in the army,” she reminded him.

  He smiled. “Good thing for me.”

  “I’m Roxie Wolff and we’re at Dylan Powers’s apartment.” She gave the 911 operator Dylan’s address while Dylan wrapped Fennel’s head with a bandage to stop the bleeding. She should have felt bad when she had injured the man like that. But if he had gotten hold of the rifle, she didn’t doubt Fennel would have shot them both.

  “We’re sending an ambulance and the police to your location. Is he conscious?” the operator asked.

  “No, but he has a pulse.” Roxie could hear his heart thumping hard.

  They heard sirens off in the distance and she was hoping they were coming for Fennel. She saw Dylan’s bloodied nose and bruised cheek. She hurried into the kitchen to get some paper towels and stop the nosebleed. After the police saw and documented what had happened, she would wash the blood from his face.

  “I love you.” She glanced around the apartment. It was a mess.

  “This is not my doing. Fennel must have been staying here since we let him go and then had the police issue a warrant for his arrest again,” Dylan said. “He would have figured no one would ever suspect he’d be hiding out here—least of all me.”

  “I agree.”

  Then Fennel started to come to. They heard the sirens right outside the apartment building. Good. Finally. It hadn’t taken them long, but every second seemed like hours, and she wanted Fennel treated for his injury and then taken into custody before he could hurt anyone else.

  The door to the apartment was still wide open. They heard footfalls racing down the hall. “Police!” one of the men said before entering the apartment.

  “We’ve got everything under control,” Dylan said. “I’m a special agent with the FWS. My girlfriend is here with me. Fennel Keaton is the one you’re after.”

  The officers began coming into the apartment. Dylan showed them his badge and ID. Once the police were assured Fennel wasn’t going to shoot anyone, the paramedics were called in and they took care of Fennel and transported him to the waiting ambulance.

  Dylan filled in the local detective, Detective Price, on exactly what had happened and how it had ended here.

  “All right. Here’s my business card if you think of anything else,” Detective Price said. “He’ll also be charged with breaking and entering.”

  “Good. Here’s my card if you need me for anything else,” Dylan said to the detective.

  Then the police left, one of them taking Fennel’s rifle, and Dylan and Roxie looked at the mess Fennel had made of Dylan’s apartment.

  “Believe me, I did not leave my apartment looking like this,” Dylan said, noticing the piled-up dirty dishes in the sink, food wrappers everywhere.

  “Once the warrant was issued for his arrest, he must have realized you knew he had lied about everything.” Roxie began putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. “He could have just washed the dishes.”

  “Yeah, I agree, but I don’t believe he had my best interests in mind.” Dylan started to throw away the trash and then cleaned the pots and pans. “Here I thought I’d left the place nice and clean at least as far as the kitchen went, ready to just pack up my belongings and move out, and that would be it.”

  “We’ll take care of it. I’m just so thrilled we caught him without anyone dying. There would have been a million more questions asked if I’d killed Fennel. Your place would have been taped off as a crime scene.” She wrapped her arms around Dylan and kissed him. “And then we wouldn’t have been able to clean out your apartment and take your clothes with us.” She kissed him again. “I would have had to take you shopping again.”

  He laughed and kissed her. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him. He needs to go to prison for what he’s done, and you didn’t need to have this on your conscience.”

  “Well, this totally calls for a celebration.”

  “I agree. I’m going to quickly call my boss and let him know Fennel has been caught before he sees it on the news.”

  Roxie smiled, then gently cleaned the blood off Dylan’s face. “Yes, you should do that. When your boss learns you caught him in your apartment, he might really be upset with you if he didn’t learn it from you first.”

  “Exactly.” Dylan got on his phone while Roxie started the dishwasher, then headed into the bedroom.

  Chapter 28

  After packing and cleaning, Dylan and Roxie left the apartment, climbed into his pickup, and drove to the restaurant. When they arrived and walked inside, it smelled delightful.

  “The bread is homemade, and they make their own beer.” The place was a lively eatery and Dylan really liked it.

  “That sounds good. I love the lighting and music in here.”

  They were seated in a cozy booth, the lighting low for ambience, and the food was delicious. Dylan had come here on a date once, on one of the rare occasions he’d taken a wolf out on a date, but he wasn’t about to mention that to Roxie. He just figured Roxie would really love this place. It was one of the best restaurants in Denver.

  After looking at the menu, Roxie ordered butter-poached lobster, brussels sprouts, olive-oil-fried potatoes, and wine. Dylan got the seafood paella, but when the server brought their meals to the table, they both shared part of their dinners with each other. They didn’t actually portion the food onto each other’s plates. They fed each other from their plates. It was a lot of fun. He was so glad she was here in his stomping grounds and seeing something beautiful, not just thinking about cleaning out his apartment and dealing with Fennel. He hoped the police would keep him in jail and wouldn’t let him out on bond.

  They finished their dinner and left the restaurant to go to a club for dancing. It was vibrant, lots of dazzling lights, and the music was geared to encourage lovers to dance. They got a table and put their coats over the backs of their chairs and then ordered a couple of Hot Cocoa Dreams—hot cocoa with green Chartreuse liqueur, topped with whipped cream and a piece of praline brittle.

  After taking a sip of their drinks and kissing each other to seal the chocolate dream—hmm-hmm—Dylan took her hand and escorted her to the dance floor.

  It didn’t matter how fast the pace of the music was, they held each other close, working the magic. He loved the closeness, the kisses, their bodies sliding against each other. They might not be dressed to the nines like they were at the Valentine’s Day party, but he felt like a million bucks while he held his beautiful mate in his arms, moving to the music, feeling in sync with the rhythm and his wolf at the same time. She was a gem no matter what she was wearing.

  They danced to four songs and then they sat down to enjoy the rest of their drinks.

  “This is great here. I’m so glad we decided to stay in Denver tonight and didn’t wait until tomorrow morning so that we’d have the rest of the weekend to be here,” Roxie said.

  “I figured this was the perfect opportunity to see some sights you don’t get to see while you and your siblings are running the lodge.”

  “Yeah, this is like a honeymoon retreat until we take a longer one. With no problem with shifting issues, it’s the perfect time to do it too.” She leaned over and licked his lips. “I love your chocolate and whipped cream.”

  He licked her mouth. “I love yours too.”

  Then they were back to dancing, kissing, and practically forgetting about the music or where they were. Afterward, they decided it was time to go to a hotel rather than stay at Dylan’s apartment. They might skip the cocktails and just go to their room to make love. It was up to Roxie.

  As soon as they parked at the hotel, they took their bags with them, went into the lobby to get their key card, and then she was pulling him to the elevator. “I’m ready to go with you up to the room. It would have been fun to have a cocktail, but I feel like I’ve had enough to drink and I just want to get you in my arms in bed.”

  He smiled. “Just my thought too.”

  They rode the elevator up to their floor, then raced each other down the hall to their room. When they got there, she swiped her key card and opened the door. He placed their bags on the floor, then swept her up in his arms. He shut the door, carried her to the king-size bed in the bedroom, and dumped her on the mattress.

  She laughed at him. Smiling, he pulled her shoes off and heeled off his own.

  The suite was a honeymoon one with a living room and kitchen. It was beautiful, though they wouldn’t really need the kitchen. Unless they wanted to eat breakfast in their room in the morning.

  He lowered himself on top of her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They began to kiss. This was what he had wanted. To make love to his mate after she’d made him so hot and aroused while dancing. He figured it would always be a condition of their closeness, which he was glad for. He never thought he’d find a mate on a FWS mission away from his home in Denver. Making love to her here brought it all home for him in the best possible way.

  Roxie kissed Dylan back, loving that they were together like this in Denver, she and her wolf. No other she-wolf could make any claims to him. No other wolves in his past mattered.

  She devoured his lips and he growled, responding in kind. He ran his hand under her sweater, caressing her belly. He swept her away with his touch and she wanted nothing more than to open up to him, to pull him in, joining with him in sexual pleasure.

  She tasted the Hot Cocoa Dream, the Chartreuse liqueur of herbs, lime, and citrus spice and whipped cream on his lips and tongue, continuing the enjoyment of the cocktail in her thoughts, but the melding with his warm lips added to the pleasure. His kisses were just as deep and passionate.

  Then he was pulling her sweater over her head and running his hand over her lacy bra, cupping a breast, squeezing, making her nipple taut with need. He opened the fastener at the front of her bra with deftness and lifted the lacy fabric away to expose her breasts to the cool air. He laved a nipple with his tongue, licking, kissing. He took the nipple between his lips, pulling on it slightly, tormenting her with need. She moved under him, wanting them both to be naked and him inside her now.

  She tugged at his shirt, and he hurried to yank it off over his head. She smiled, running her hands over his chest and tweaking his nipples. She loved the silky feel of his hot body beneath her fingertips.

  But then he was kissing and licking her other nipple and she tensed with the pleasure of his tongue and lips. He paused in the exquisite torture of her, placed his hands on her jeans and unfastened them, then pulled them down her hips. Oh yeah, she was so ready to get to the next stage.

  He kissed her panty-clad mons before pulling off her socks, and then she pushed him onto his back. She began unbuckling his belt. Then she was unzipping his zipper and easing his jeans off his hips. Once she pulled off his pants, she kissed his boxer-brief-covered arousal, which immediately jumped at her touch.

  She smiled and ran her hand over his arousal. He flipped her over on her back and began sliding off her panties. Then she tugged his boxer briefs down and he was free of the rest of his clothes, perfectly naked to her just like she was to him.

  Their hearts were beating rapidly as he kissed her tummy and then began stroking her clit. She was so hot and ready for this, so sensitive to his touch that she could barely deal with the all-consuming, pain-pleasure of his strokes. He dipped a finger inside her, and she nearly came apart. He pushed his finger as far as he could, stroked her inside, and she groaned out loud.

  But then he began stroking her with his thumb, his other finger still inside her. She couldn’t last. She was so near to heaven, and then she came in a wondrous explosion of pleasure. “Ohmigod.”